Four inches off my waist and the best sleep of my life.

After the 31-day fast, I immediately went into a muscle rebound exercise program and gained 16 lbs of lean body mass with minimal fat regaining (2 lbs).

Some of the 31 lbs was lean body mass, just over 10 lbs, making it around a 20 lb fat loss.

During an extended fast, the body becomes VERY sensitive, which is a VERY good thing. 

Sleep improves dramatically. Focus is enhanced, calm deepens, and hormones prime as the body becomes exceptionally efficient.

I ride the surge of hormonal priming to rebuild my body once I break the fast with a whole-food, animal-based diet of high protein and fat with minimal carbs. 

I train my body one body part daily, including weight lifting, intensity training, and cardio, to push that anabolic (muscle-building) surge of natural hormones that I unleashed during my days without eating.

The weight I regain is intentional. I plan on rebuilding the way I do; it isn’t just my weight but “rebounding” or “coming back.”

If I wanted to keep my body weight low, I could have. But I didn’t. I didn’t have to train to eat that way, although that was the intention. I dropped under 200 lbs, which is very low for me, considering my 6’4” frame and comfort.

I repeated the experiment 5 months later with a 40-day fast, during which I lost 23 lbs. That’s interesting, right? 

What made the difference?

Well, I had less easy fat to shed and more active muscle, and frankly, I was different. My body was more efficient. Maybe five months was too soon to do another fast, or maybe not.

I invite you to join my 30-Day Fasting Learning Challenge starting April 1 and see what happens for both of us this time. I intend to do another 30-day fast, but fasting is optional to join, learn, experiment, and participate in the challenge. 

Resilience is the theme of this fast, as is learning about fasting. I am including daily lessons on resilience strategies, practices, and resources to keep us mentally strong and build our stress resilience for 30 days straight.

See my pinned post on my Facebook wall for details, and check the comments for the link to join.

We can do better!

Dr. Don